Lemongrass Chicken with Rice

I

I'm back!

I am finally finished the research and writing for my Master's degree and all that is left now is my exam. 

Now I will have more time to cook and update this blog more regularly.

I've also joined pinterest. Check out my boards here: http://pinterest.com/jesspang/. The board I am currently spending a lot of time on is my wedding planning board. I got engaged at the end of May and we're getting married next year! 

I made this chicken a while ago and knew that I had to post a picture on the blog.

It was absolutely delicious. If you haven't had lemongrass before, I highly recommend it. It tastes lemony, yet also woody to an extent. Some people brew teas with it and it is known to ease stomach pain. 

Lemongrass chicken is a popular dish in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. The recipe here is made without chilies and garlic (to suit my finicky gut) but the ginger, lemongrass, and sesame oil I used gave plenty of amazing flavor.

I didn't keep track of the recipe as I made the chicken, but here is a good approximation:

Ingredients:

- 1 chicken, or 2.5 pounds of chicken thighs 

(butcher it yourself to save money!)

- 5 stalks of lemongrass, white bottoms only, finely chopped 

(see this video on how to prepare lemongrass: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58rSRxb_BMU)

- ginger, finely chopped 

(about 3 tbsp. once chopped)

- 1 tbsp gluten-free tamari

- 5 tbsp sesame oil

- white rice

- 1 lime and some cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1) Mix together lemongrass, ginger, tamari and sesame oil

2) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

3) Marinade the chicken in the lemongrass mixture for 30-60 mins

4) Line a shallow baking pan with aluminum foil and place the marinated chicken in the pan, make sure any ginger/lemongrass pieces "coat" the chicken so they form crunchy bits once cooked

5) Place the chicken into the oven and start cooking the rice!

6)  Let the chicken cook for 45-60 mins, until its juices run clear

7) Garnish with lime and cilantro and enjoy!

Dill: Versatile, Tangy and Suprising

Since I received a fresh bunch of dill weed in my Fresh City Farms delivery about a month ago, this herb has been featured in a lot of my cooking.

Fresh City's website has some great recipes- but these usually have garlic in them. The recipes for dill are here:

http://www.freshcityfarms.com/recipes-more/cooking-with-dill-two-recipes/

I adapted their roasted baby potato salad and came up with a delightful hot sidedish or cold salad.

Dill and Mustard Potato Salad

Ingredients

1 lb baby potatoes (red, white, blue, purple- whatever you wish)

2-3 tbsp olive oil

5 sprigs finely chopped fresh dill weed + 3 springs unchopped

1 tbsp grainy mustard (I use Maille brand- preferred by the French)

Directions

Wash, and halve the baby potatoes.

Coat the baby potatoes in in olive oil and heat your oven to 375 degrees.

Roast the potatoes on an aluminum-lined sheet pan for 45 minutes, flipping at 20 minutes. Place 3 unchopped sprigs of dill weed on top of the potatoes to cook in the dill flavor.

Once potatoes are roasted, remove from the sheet pan and place in your serving bowl. Take care to remove the sprigs of cooked dill weed (but you don't need to get rid of every last bit- only the parts that would be difficult to eat).

Add the fresh chopped dill and mustard to your serving bowl and mix, mix, mix!

Serve immediately while warm or store in your fridge for an outdoor lunch the next day.

I made this recipe on the weekend for a potluck yesterday and have some dill leftover today. I am going to make this coconut-dill sauce (http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/dill-sauce.php) and this vegan tzatziki ( http://www.yummly.com/recipe/The-Best-Tzatziki-Recipezaar) tonight. I'll have the coconut-dill sauce over some leftover cauliflower and rice with some stir-fried seafood and bring the vegan tzatziki to lunch tomorrow with some veggies and corn chips.

Gluten-free, dairy-free bliss!

Namaste Muffin Mix: Cranberry and Cinnamon-Pear Muffins

I've been craving baked goods lately but there is no way I will pay $3 for a tasty treat if I have time to make my own at home.

I found Namaste Foods Muffin Mix at Winners the other day. Winners actually has a wide selection of gluten-free products. Although Winners is known for being where higher end products have their last-ditch chance in the retail world, their food products were nowhere near the "best before date". Also, I am aware that Winners/ Homesense has retail rights to Better Batter gluten-free flour and mixes in Canada.

The Namaste Foods Muffin Mix is free of: gluten, wheat, soy, corn, potato, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy and casein. It is also kosher and free of carageenan.

I followed the package instructions (add 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of oil, 1 cup water to mix) and incorporated some of my own flavours (as recommended on the package).

I made some 5 muffins with dried cranberries and 10 muffins with fresh rosamarie pear chunks and cinnamon with a brown sugar top. 15 muffins for $6.99 in muffin mix + about $2 in other ingredients comes to about 60 cents/ muffin. Not only do I save some cash, I also know exactly what is in my food!

The cinnamon-pear muffins were tasty and approved by my roommate and my boyfriend (neither of whom have dietary restrictions). I have yet to try the cranberry muffins- those seem more portable so they will be for breakfasts/ snacks on the way to school.

Tuna Melt and Fresh City Farms Delivery

Ever since I discovered daiya vegan cheese, I've been looking forward to making tuna melts. They are easy to make, nutritious and filling.

A while ago, I got a tuna melt tip from one of my favourite cooking shows: The Chew. Use cooked sweet potato instead of bread! Not only are sweet potatoes naturally gluten-free, they are cheaper than gluten-free bread and more nutritious.

I roasted the sweet potato at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1.5 hours, until the insides were soft but the sweet potato was still intact. Then, I mushed up the inside of the sweet potato a bit before filling with my tuna mix and topping with "cheese".

Tuna mix: 1 can of tuna, 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 large pickle, fresh ground black pepper to taste. (makes enough for 2 sweet potatoes, or 4 open-face tuna melt "sandwiches")

You can skip the pickle but I like how it adds crunch, tang and saltiness. No need for the salt shaker.

I was just as excited about my first delivery from Fresh City Farms. I had local, organic produce delivered to my door! I also got some local, free-range eggs.

A small box of fruits and veggies is about $30, half a dozen eggs were $3.25, and delivery is $3. If you prefer to pick up from several locations in the GTA, there is no delivery fee.

I'm estimating that the fruits and veggies are enough produce for me (and the occasional dinner guest) for a couple weeks, as long as I subsidize with frozen peas and a few things here and there from my local market.

Best of all, you can skip weeks of delivery and set up a "do not send" list. I put onions and garlic on my "do not send" but did not remember their close cousin the shallot. It is now on my "do not send" list after a quick email to the Fresh City people.

Before each week's delivery, you get an email with the box's expected contents. If you don't like the "surprise box" idea, you can customize your box online. For those who can enjoy bread and cheese, the online store also sells these locally produced products and some bulk grains, honey, and organic wine.

Just because I'm so excited, I'll list what I had delivered this week:

Half a dozen eggs

1 bag of carrots

Living tatsoi

Living parsley

1.5 lbs of red beets

6 shalltos

4 Valencia oranges

5 Spartan apples

4 Anjou pears

2 orange bell peppers

1 bunch of spinach

That's a pretty good deal for about $35, considering it is organic and locally grown- and I didn't have to spend time going to the grocery store to pick things out.

I also got a $15 discount for my first order! (they really know how to draw you in)

For now, I will stick to getting twice a week deliveries. I feel like this is a great service in terms of my time and health- and it gets me excited about food!

Now... if I can get fresh-baked gluten-free bread delivered to my door... THAT would be heavenly.

First "cheese"burger in 6 months

Today I had my first cheeseburger in 6 months! It was so delicious!

Yesterday night I made chicken burritos, with cheese!

My favourite new gluten-free, dairy-free food is daiya vegan cheese. And unlike many other non-dairy products, it doesn't contain carageenan!

Best of all, it is sold at Loblaws (where I usually get my groceries), for just $4.99! (not much more expensive than conventional shredded cheese).

I got their cheddar-style shreds but I'm looking forward to trying the mozzerella-style shreds on some gluten-free pizza dough!

The daiya website has a recipe search where you can customize by: "cheese" type, food allergies, and meal type. Check it out here: http://www.daiyafoods.com/recipes_new/index.aspx

This is definitely a product I'll continue to buy because it: meets my food-intolerance requirements, melts and stretches like REAL CHEESE, and is budget-friendly! I'm hoping restaurants in the GTA catch on soon!

Dairy-free Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes... one of my favorite comfort foods ever. Naturally gluten-free, this dish can be easily made dairy-free as well.

Before I went dairy-free, I made my mashed potatoes with full-fat sour cream AND cream cheese. That may not have been so heart healthy.

Now I make mashed potatoes with rice milk and olive oil- better on both the gut and the heart. (Of course, they are not as creamy, but still delicious and comforting on a cold fall day.)

Ingredients:

5 medium-sized yukon gold potatoes

3/4 cup of plain rice milk

1/8 cup of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

What you need:

1 medium pot

1 potato masher

1 strainer

Directions:

1) Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.

2) Wash, peel and dice potatoes into small cubes.

3) Add potatoes to the water and cook until soft but not falling apart.

4) Drain potatoes in strainer and add back to the pot.

5) Combine potatoes with rice milk and olive oil, then mash with the potato masher.

Serves 2 immediately with leftovers for lunch.

Salmon Croquettes with Lemon-Mayo

Today I had an appointment with my gastroenterologist. Everything went well but he asked me to get some blood tests to check my white blood cell counts. There was a long lineup at the outpatient lab so I made good use of my time and did some recipe planning on my blackberry.

A while ago, canned salmon was on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart. Naturally, I stocked up. I tried to have the canned salmon for lunch in a cold salad but was put off by the fishy taste.

Using Google to look up "canned salmon recipes", I came across this Lemon Salmon Burger recipe.

Obviously I had to make some adjustments to suit my dietary restrictions (substitute bread crumbs, omit red pepper flakes and onion), but I was determined to have some yummy salmon for lunch.

When I got home, I considered defrosting the gluten-free bread I had in the freezer for bread crumbs. Then, I realized what I could use instead: stale potato chips!

There aren't many snacks I can have that are cheap and readily available but plain potato chips are often made with just potatoes, oil and salt. I usually buy the Lay's brand "lightly salted" variety. My bag of potato chips has been going stale for a week. I was ready to throw them out but thought "people use stale bread in recipes all the time, why not use stale potato chips?"

Ingredients:
For the croquettes:

1 can salmon (I used Clover Leaf brand Wild Red Pacific Sockeye Salmon).
If you see salmon skin and bones, try to remove these as best as possible. In a croquette, these are just not appetizing.

1 small ziplock bag full of potato chips (about 30 chips), crushed in bag.

Handful of parsley, washed and chopped.

2 eggs (beaten)

Salt (about 1 tsp) and pepper (about 8 grinds of the pepper mill)

2-5 tbsp Cooking oil (I used leftover bacon grease)

For the lemon-mayo:

2 tbsp mayo

Juice of 1/4 lemon

Pinch of dried basil

Directions:

1) In a medium bowl, combine salmon, potato chips, parsley, egg, salt and pepper.

2) Heat a non-stick pan to medium (6) and add cooking oil.

3) Form the croquettes using a fork and the palm of your hand. Place each croquette in the pan as it is formed.

4) Cook croquettes on first side until bottom is slightly browned (approximately 5 mins). Flip the croquette and brown the other side (approximately 3 mins). Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to repeat this process a few times. Give the croquettes at least a 1/2 inch "breathing space" on each side.

5) While croquettes are cooking, mix mayo, lemon juice and basil in a small bowl.

6) Serve immediately. Makes about 8 palm-sized croquettes.

I have a few croquettes left over- these would be delicious with a salad for dinner tonight. You can also make the croquettes smaller and serve with a variety of flavored mayos as an appetizer or finger food.

Pancake Smileys

Yesterday was Sunday. For a weekend brunch I made bacon and Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pancakes. It was fantastic.

I had a few leftover pancakes and decided to be creative with my breakfast this morning.

Ingredients:

Leftover pancakes (I placed sheets of parchment paper between the pancakes before putting them in the fridge to keep them from sticking together.)

1 banana

Handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips (check ingredients for gluten, dairy, carageenan)

Directions:

Arrange as shown in picture (or as you wish) and microwave for one minute.

I ate mine folded up taco-style. The bananas keep the pancakes moist and the chocolate chips melt just enough to make this worthy as a breakfast or dessert.

4 ingredient pasta

As a student, I'm always looking for quick, freezer-friendly meals that are easy to heat up during exam season. Pasta has always been a staple in my student diet- but how can you make a tasty pasta sauce without onions, garlic and cheese?

First, a note on gluten-free pasta. It is usually made from rice or corn flour instead of wheat flour. I've tried a few brands out there and don't really have a preference- as usual, I just go for whatever is on sale. I find that with gluten-free pasta it is very important to follow the cooking directions on the package. What seems "al-dente" upon testing may just be inedible when you add the sauce.

So how can you add flavor to your pasta sauce without onions, garlic and cheese? Herbs! I use lots of basil- a perfect match to tomatoes. This is my alternative to pre-made pasta sauces such as Ragu or Classico.

Ingredients:

1 can crushed tomatoes
1 package basil (approximately 30 leaves of basil)
1 package gluten-free pasta
1 package ground beef (approximately 1.5 pounds)

salt and pepper to taste (I add lots and lots of fresh ground pepper)

What you need:

- deep nonstick pan
- large pot for boiling pasta (non-stick preferred)
- strainer
- spatula
- can opener

Directions:

1) Chiffonade the basil leaves

2) Add the ground beef to the pan and brown (do not drain off the fat, fat= flavor)

3) Add the basil and crushed tomatoes

4) While sauce is cooking, cook the gluten-free pasta according to package directions

5) When pasta is cooked, add back to the non-stick pasta pot

6) Add pasta sauce to the pasta slowly- making sure not to drench the pasta with sauce. Store away extra sauce in freezer.

You can add just about anything to this recipe. I like to cook up some mushrooms and zucchini and add to the ground beef to give my meal some extra fibre. If you (or your guests) can tolerate and enjoy spicy food and/or dairy products, add some hot sauce and parmesean cheese!

*** low-calorie option: make sure to use brown rice pasta and substitute ground chicken or turkey for ground beef. You may want to add some chicken stock to keep the meat moist.

LPK's Culinary Groove at the farmers' market!

I had an interview for a volunteer position in the Yonge and Eglinton neighbourhood today and spotted a farmers' market on my way to the subway. I just had to check it out.

The market was quite small but had a wide variety of goods: fruits and veggies, honey, soap and moisturizer made from honey, organic meats... pretty much your standard farmers' market. It also had Jamaican food, a crepe stand and a premade entree (i.e. chicken pot pie) stand. I bought some peaches and was ready to head home. Then it caught my eye... a LPK's baked goods stand with the words "organic, gluten-free, vegan".

Vegan= dairy-free! Vegans don't eat any animal products (that includes milk, honey, and gelatin). I love meat but appreciate the availability of vegan products because it makes my diet easier to follow. Treats like cupcakes and cookies are an added bonus.

LPK's farmers' market stand offered cookies, cupcakes, Nanaimo bars and a rice foccacia. I indulged in a banana cupcake with maple frosting and an Oreo-inspired cookie. I was impressed with the prices- sometimes gluten-free products are marked up because vendors know you have very little choice. At $6 for both my treats, I felt the pricing was fair and comparable to market-price baked goods at bakeries and cafes.

Left to right: chocolate chip cookie, ginger sandwich cookie, Oreo-inspired cookie

I needed an afternoon pick-me-up and coffee goes amazingly well with baked goods. I decided to use my coffee quota for this week and took a seat in the nearby Starbucks. I ordered a "tall, mild" and dug in excitedly.

First up: the banana cupcake with maple frosting. (see picture below)
- very moist, not crumbly like many gluten-free products
- sweet but not too sweet
- would definitely purchase again


Next up: the Oreo-inspired cookie. (I was going to save this for dessert tonight but couldn't resist),
- at first, I found it a bit crumbly
- tastes EXACTLY like an Oreo
- a good size (approximately as big as my palm)

I was tempted to head back to LPK's stand and buy everything in sight. Fortunately, they have a store at Queen East and Broadview and a website! Their menu is available online and lists all allergens. You can browse their website for all their products and get info for custom orders for special occasions. Everything looks so beautiful and delicious!

Finally, the environmentally-conscious would approve of LPK's Culinary Groove. They use "organic, fair trade, local and seasonal products whenever possible".

Looks like I've found my new favorite pastry shop.

yoso Soy Yogurt

What I purchased: 2 strawberry, 2 vanilla, 2 blueberry

On Friday, I got my wisdom tooth removed (just one tooth, thank goodness). As with any medical procedure, I am a little extra anxious because of my colitis. Everything turned out really well and the long weekend here in Canada gave me a chance (*ahem* excuse) to relax.

When you have any sort of dental surgery, solid foods are out of the question for at least one day. The dentist recommended ice cream and yogurt. She also prescribed antibiotics to prevent infection. Antibiotics scare me a little because they kill all the "good" bacteria in your gut. I already take a probiotic to keep my gut flora at healthy levels but antibiotics are pretty powerful. I was prepared to buy some yogurt to boost my probiotic intake.

So I went to Metro (my local grocery store) and came across yoso. It contains inulin, a prebiotic. Probiotics are actual bacteria that are ingested. Prebiotics encourage the colon to produce more "good" bacteria. According to yoso's website: "Inulin is not digested in the stomach or in the small intestine and so reaches the large intestine intact, where it stimulates the growth of beneficial bacteria."

Also, unlike many non-dairy products, this contains NO CARAGEENAN!

Great! But how does it taste?

Vanilla flavor

I love the texture- it is more akin to Greek-style yogurt than the 0% fat yogurt. My favorite flavor is the strawberry. I mixed this with a little bit of pudding (just use Jell-o chocolate pudding and substitute almond milk for regular milk) for dessert- yum yum! I'm not crazy about the vanilla flavor but a teaspoon of jam in every container can change that.

I see myself having this yogurt for breakfast or dessert regularly. At a price of $4.89, it is not much pricier than a brand-name Greek yogurt.

I hope to try more yoso products in the future. They offer (at the moment) soy yogurt, soy spreads, soy sour cream and soy drinks. All their ingredients are listed online and I can only see carageenan in their beverages. Best of all, they are a family-run business from Ontario!

Low-budget Vegan "Curry"

Chickpeas coated in the coriander, turmeric, ginger paste.

Curry and rice. So simple, so nice.

Blended and served as a soup.

Before I started my gluten-free, dairy-free diet, I loved dining out at Indian restaurants. The food is so flavorful and my favorite part was the nann bread and the yogurt raita sauce. Sadly, Indian restaurants are off-limits for me now because everything on the menu contains at least one of: dairy, gluten, onions and garlic.

Instead of feeling sorry for myself (which is easy to do when you have colitis), I came up with an Indian-inspired "curry". This is a Vegan recipe, but even meat-lovers (including my boyfriend the ultimate steak enthusiast), love it! Many people think of "curry" as spicy, but really it is just a name used to describe dishes from South Asia that use ground spices for flavor. The three most common "curry powder" spices are: turmeric, coriander and cumin.

The star of this dish is the turmeric. I like this spice not only because it gives a wonderful colour and flavor but also because it is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, a quick search on google scholar (query: turmeric + colitis), produced quite a few peer-reviewed articles on turmeric's effectiveness in treating colitis. This includes a double blind human study and an animal study.

This meal has it all: protein from the chickpeas, starch from the potatoes and vitamins from the cauliflower and carrots. While coconut milk may be saturated fat, remind yourself that you are eating a vegan, home cooked meal. Many cultures around the world traditionally use coconut milk as a staple in their mainly plant-based diets. If you can tolerate dairy, you can use milk or sour cream in this recipe instead.

What you need:

Spatula or wooden spoon

Knife

Colander/ strainer

Cutting Board

Vegetable peeler

1 large pot with a non-stick bottom and a LID (I use a non-stick wok that holds about 2L of liquid.)

Slow cooker (optional)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. coriander powder

3 tbsp. turmeric powder

2 tbsp. freshly minced ginger

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 can coconut milk (I buy the cheapest one I can find while trying to avoid sulphites that are used as preservatives).

1 can tomato paste (optional)

2 tbsp. gluten-free tamari sauce

1 can chickpeas

1 whole cauliflower

2 medium potatoes

2 carrots

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Prepare the vegetables:
Wash and peel potatoes and carrots, then chop into large cubes (approx. 1 inch x 1 inch x 1 inch).

Wash and prepare the cauliflower. Every part of the cauliflower is edible except the green leaves.

2) Rinse and drain the chickpeas

3) Mince the ginger (2 tbsp is approximately 3 slices minced)

4) Turn the stove on maximum. Add olive oil and ginger to the pot and brown the ginger.

5) When ginger begins to sizzle, add the coriander and turmeric. You will begin to see a "paste".

6) Add the rinsed chickpeas and stir.

7) Add the coconut milk (and optional tomato paste) and stir.

8) Add the cauliflower, potatoes and carrots. Stir well. If there is not enough liquid to cover the contents of the pot (which is usually the case), add water or another can of coconut milk until the contents are all covered.

9) Cover the pot with the lid and wait for the curry to "bubble". Once the curry begins to "bubble", turn the stove to medium and add the gluten-free tamari sauce.

***At this point, if you don't want to sit around watching the stove and you have a slow cooker, you can put the contents of the pot into your slow cooker and set it on "high" for about 3 hours*** (if you use a slow cooker, the final product tends to be more "runny"- better blended as a soup than as a curry

10) Stir the pot approximately every 10 minutes for 30 minutes. Then, turn the stove to low.

11) Stir the pot approximately every 25 minutes for about 2 hours. You are waiting for the vegetables to be tender enough to eat with just a fork or spoon- just give it a test once in a while and when you think the curry is done, its done!

12) Salt and pepper to taste. I like lots of fresh ground pepper in mine.

Serve alongside rice, gluten-free pasta or gluten-free bread. Also delicious on its own or as a soup after a quick spin in the blender.

Enjoy!

My fridge and pantry staples

When people hear about my gluten-free, dairy-free, non-garlic/onion diet, they often ask: "What do you eat?"

I'll probably say this may times in this blog: I like to think about what I can eat instead of what I can't.

This is a picture of things I always have on hand to keep my diet varied but still "safe" to eat. After I started this post, I realize that this selection changes from time to time, depending on my culinary mood and the season. Look out for more "staple" items and accompanying recipes in the future.

Bottom Row (left to right):

Veggies: I had some broccoli and red pepper in the fridge. Since I'm on-the-go a lot, I like to wash and prepare my veggies when I get back from the market and store them in ziplock bags or tupperware containers.

Fruit: Apples were on sale for $1.99 a bag at a Chinese grocery store. Last week I had some locally grown peaches- a bit pricey at $3.50/ 6 peaches at the farmer's market but so delicious when they're in season. I always like to keep fruit on hand for a quick nutritious snack or dessert.

Lemon: so useful! I use lemons to perk up a glass of water, stuff inside whole chickens for roasting, make lemon-honey tea, dress salads with olive oil, cook with fish... the possibilities are endless!

Second row (left to right):

Turmeric: a lovely yellow powder used in Indian dishes that acts as an anti-inflammatory. Great for people with UC. I use it in my go-to chickpea/potato/cauliflower meal.

Eggs: quick and easy protein. Eggs are one of the big 5 allergies (gluten, dairy, egg, nut, soy) but if you can eat them, they are a cheap source of protein and can be made so many ways. I like mine over-easy, soft boiled and scrambled. They are also essential to Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix.

Butter: First off, I know this is dairy. However, my naturopath told me that butter is actually good for people with colitis because of the formation of the fatty-acid chain. I use butter mostly in my cooking but also love it on gluten-free toast. I get salted organic butter for the flavor.

Third row (back row):

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix: Pancakes are easy to make and tasty at any time of day. I make mine with almond milk.

Sesame oil: I use this a lot in stir fries to give that "Asian" flavor. Also tasty when used instead of mayo in chicken salads.

Nuts: If you're not allergic, they're great for snacking! I get the Back to Nature brand- the size is perfect for your purse/backpack! I keep them around in case I get hungry on the bus. I will also add nuts to salads and stir-fries from time to time to add variety and crunch. Always be careful and READ THE LABEL because sometimes roasted nuts contain gluten.

Bay leaves: for stock and soups. Store-bought stock always has onion/ garlic and it is difficult to find a gluten-free, dairy-free soup. So I make my own!

Maple syrup: for pancakes. I am Canadian after all. I bought this organic bottle at Shoppers Drug Mart (to be honest I do a lot of shopping there due to convenience and their rewards program). The taste is light and delicious. I also keep Aunt Jemima's in my fridge but the real stuff is better by a mile.

Dried thyme: I use this to give meats and fish flavor in the oven. Thyme was just available in the spice rack when I moved in with my roommate and when I gave up garlic/onion for good, it became a regular in my dishes. Dried oregano, basil and parsley are also used in my kitchen, but not as often as thyme.

Honey: It is hard to find an inexpensive, easy-to-prepare, gluten-free, dairy-free dessert. Sometimes I just settle for a cup of honey-lemon tea. Honey is also lovely when used to roast chicken.

Back row (left to right):

Green tea: This is also from Shoppers Drug Mart. I need my caffeine but usually coffee is just too hard on the gut. (I cheat for sure but try to limit it to 2 cups a week). Green tea (hot or iced) is a tasty alternative and delicious with honey.

Almond milk: Again, this is from Shoppers Drug Mart. I recently switched from rice milk to almond milk because I like the flavor more. I use almond milk/ rice milk in mashed potatoes, smoothies, pancakes and just to drink! When shopping for non-dairy milk, I avoid carrageenan like the devil. I learned from my naturopath that carrageenan is used in animal studies to induce colitis! As far as I know, Almond Fresh and Rice Dream do not contain carrageenan- but CHECK THE LABEL EVERY TIME!

Gluten-free tamari: "Soy sauce contains gluten?!" That was my first reaction on the gluten-free diet. Thankfully, gluten-free tamari is available and generally the same price as soy sauce. I use it in stir fries, sushi take-out, rice noodles, to add flavor to soup and stews... most things requiring an "Asian" flavor. I use the San J brand but Bragg's gluten-free soy/ tamari sauces are also highly recommended among the gluten-free community. VH soya sauce is also gluten-free but as always- CHECK THE LABEL.

Orange juice: I use this for smoothies and to take my daily pro-biotic. This was a steal- 2 for $5 at... you guessed it: Shoppers Drug Mart. I don't mind pulp but buy the no-pulp kind in case any houseguests don't like pulp.

Olive oil: I use this almost every day. I have heard of olive oil snobs but I just went to the oil aisle in my local supermarket and picked out the cheapest bottle of extra virgin olive oil. It is great for dressing salads, roasting potatoes and chicken, mashed potatoes, and as a cooking oil.

Hidden:

White rice: I'm Chinese so this has always been a staple in my kitchen, even before the gluten-free diet. Brown rice is "healthier" because it has fiber but for people with IBD, fiber is often difficult to digest, especially in a flare. I use white rice to accompany stir fries, for fried rice and congee (Chinese breakfast porridge). I prefer white rice as my staple starch over potatoes because it is easier to store. I've had potatoes go bad even in the darkest of my cupboards but my white rice in my $3.99 Ikea box has never failed. Post on how to cook white rice (in a rice cooker and in a pot) to come.

Not shown:

Ginger: also known for its anti-inflammatory qualities. I use this in combination with my gluten-free soy sauce for "Asian" flavors in many dishes.

First Post- My Personal Journey

Hi there!

You may have come across this blog because you were recently diagnosed with colitis/ Crohn's disease/ IBS or someone you care about has been diagnosed. The onset for Crohn's and colitis is usually between 15-30 years of age. Before I was diagnosed, I was "perfectly healthy" and living without a care at university. Since then, I've had to make some minor changes and in all honesty, I am so glad for them.

I am writing this blog to share recipes and experiences with others affected by colitis or similar illnesses (Crohn's, IBS, celiac).

This is my disclaimer: I AM NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL NOR AM I AN EXPERT ON IBD. Every person is different and the way every person experiences a disease is different. I'm just a 20-something, Chinese- Canadian, female graduate student who has been living with colitis for about 5 years. I struggle with this disease every day of my life and I have seen my family and friends struggle to help me. However, having IBD isn't the end of the world. I remind myself of this every day and try to live my life with creativity and care (hence the name of this blog).

I treat my colitis with the help of a GI and a naturopath. I take prescription medications and naturopathic remedies. My naturopath (who I have only recently started working with), has put me on a gluten-free, dairy-free diet. Since I am not Celiac, I am not 100% strict with this diet but try to adhere as best as possible. I am also highly sensitive to onion, garlic, and spicy food and can only tolerate very little alcohol.

Please stay tuned for more posts. I promise to be as honest as possible in sharing my experiences in colitis. I also hope to post budget-friendly, adaptable recipes so that anyone living with dietary concerns can still enjoy a lovely meal.

take care,
JP